November 2024
A roundup of police predators
Welcome to Police Predators, a side project that documents child sexual abuse by law enforcement officers. Every month, I’ll be doing a roundup of all the stories I could find about cops that were charged with, convicted of, and/or sentenced for their crimes against minors.
Larry Clay, Jr., a former police chief in Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, was found guilty of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, sex trafficking of a minor via coercion, and two counts of obstruction of justice. His story is far too complicated to summarize accurately, and I recommend you read the report done by The Washington Post for the full picture, but be aware there is extremely graphic content.
Cameron Jacob Sheoships, a former tribal police officer for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, was sentenced Friday to seven years and three months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing child sexual abuse images. He must also register as a sex offender for 15 years after his release. The victim reported him to the FBI, but they did not believe her and told her that she "shouldn't lie about a police officer." Original story here.
William Squires, a former Bayou La Batre, Alabama, police officer, was arrested and indicted on charges of rape in the 1st degree, rape in the 2nd degree, sex abuse in the 1st degree, and sex abuse in the 2nd degree. Squires is alleged to have sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl. He is also being investigated for allegedly soliciting lewd photos from a 12-year-old girl. Original story here.
Bradley Goodin, a Bristow, Oklahoma police officer, was arrested and charged with three counts of child sexual abuse and three counts of lewd molestation. The minor victim and a witness both allege Goodin was touching the victim inappropriately. Original story here.
Ryan Matthew Matthias, a former Creek County, Oklahoma, sheriff's deputy, was arrested and charged with crimes related to possession of child sexual abuse materials. Original story here.
Richard Anthony Rodriguez, a Riverside County, California, sheriff's deputy, was arrested and charged with crimes related to the distribution of child sexual abuse materials. Original story here.
Daniel Dworkin, a Rockland County, New York, corrections officer, was arrested and charged with possession of child sexual abuse materials. He is alleged to have uploaded more than 50 lewd photos and videos of children under the age of 16. Dworkin is also the head of the union that represents top brass at corrections facilities in New York. He has been suspended without pay and entered a plea of not guilty. Original story here.
Anthony Kelly, a Dover, New Jersey, police officer, was arrested and charged with one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material. He was placed on unpaid suspension. Original story here.
Brian Zenszer, a police officer for the SEPTA system in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with distribution of child sex abuse material. Prosecutors say he admitted to viewing and distributing child sex abuse material on the job for years. Original story here.
Burlon Hayworth, Andrew Carter, and Josh Parson, police officers from Collegedale, Tennessee, were accused of touching a minor inappropriately at a college football game. Hayworth and Carter both resigned, while Parson was placed on paid administrative leave. They are being investigated by the police department, but they are not facing formal charges. Original story here.
Keith Grunfelder, a TSA employee in Florida, was arrested and hit with 10 charges, 8 of which are for possession of child sexual abuse materials. Grunfelder allegedly used Kik to participate in groups that promoted incest and child sexual abuse, with some members claiming to be adults who regularly assaulted their own children. He is also accused of sending and receiving images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, including children as young as one year old. Original story here.
Mother Jones reported on the story of a woman who was sexually abused by her adoptive father when she was a minor and her pursuit of justice, despite the many obstacles presented to her by the police. It doesn't fit the criteria for Police Predators, but it's absolutely worth a read.
Updates
Matthew B. Marshall was indicted on charges of vandalizing property, unlawful communication of record information, photographing an unsuspecting nude person, and photos taken outside of a first responder's official duties. He has pleaded not guilty.
Geoffrey Parker was sentenced to 24 to 28 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to three counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, three counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, one count of gross sexual imposition, and one count of pandering obscenity involving a minor. He must also register as a Tier 2 sex offender.
Kevin Menon had his bail raised to $150,000 and was hit with two additional charges related to child sexual abuse materials after more files were discovered on his devices. Menon also falsely claimed he attended Harvard in his character letter.
Christopher Terranova was convicted of one count of sexual exploitation of a child, three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of children, and two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison up to life imprisonment.
James Weems was found guilty on six counts, including second-degree rape, sexual abuse of a minor, and showing obscene matter to a minor. He faces two life sentences and is being held without bail pending a sentencing hearing.
James Feeley pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and one count of rape and abuse of a child. Feeley was sentenced to four to six years in prison, followed by five years of probation. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Roy Mitchell pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting three children and was sentenced to 120 days in prison, followed by 20 years of probation. He must also surrender his firearm, law enforcement certificate, and register as a sex offender.
You can find all my previous roundups below.
